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Brace Yourself, America--I'm About To Make The Case For Snooki Being A Good Role Model

Season five of Jersey Shore starts tomorrow, meaning in just 36 short hours we'll be back in the land of catchphrases, shots and meatballs. Speaking of meatballs (and the inevitable "prab-ems!" that come with them), let's talk about our girl Snooki for a second.

Here's the thing: America gave Snooki a pretty bad rap out of the gate. She was drinking, she was falling, she was tumbling out of her clothes. And her teeny stature made her easier to pick on than the latex-muscled guys.

But as I watched her on The Tonight Show last night, it struck me: beneath all that bronzer, Snooki's got some downright wonderful qualities that I wouldn't mind seeing on more girls.

So, without further ado, the Dos & Don'ts of my favorite guidette.

DO take time for your family, even when you're a busy, in-demand reality star/slipper mogul. Snooki spent Christmas Eve with her parents before heading off to see her boyfriend, and boxes with her dad regularly. (This is Snooki dancing on top of a car with her mother. Whatever works.)

DON'T let your girlfriends go by the wayside when you get a boyfriend. Yeah, Snooks got a little bf-obsessed in Italy, but she's a girl's girl at heart, getting into scrapes with Deena and (soon) shooting a spinoff with Jenny.

DO go out of your way to be friendly--people notice. As in: I noticed that Snooki fearlessly hugged and gushed over previous Leno guest Whitney Cummings, whom I can't imagine hasn't drafted a few Snooki jokes in her day.

DON'T rely on others to get what you want. If her boyfriend doesn't ask her to marry him in two years, Snooki said casually, she'll just ask him.

DO have some faith in your signature style. Snooki's hair, nails and leopard-or-die wardrobe has given more than one snobbish fashionista a migraine, we're sure. Does she give a Seaside rat's you-know-what? Not on your life.

DON'T take yourself too seriously.

Think I'm nuts, or ready to join the meatball nation? Are you guys psyched for Jersey Shore season 5, or getting over it?